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Morbe77

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Just looking for advice really. Im a 40 year old Male who is overweight I have been wanting to go vegetarian/ vegan for the obvious health benefits but I live in Texas, which is basically the land of cattle and dietitians here tend to go into panic mode when you mention vegan or vegetarian lifestyles. I have no support in a state where BBQ actually made it's way to the food pyramid. I have tried in the past to go vegan but could never get past the whole vitamin b12 thing. I dont want to suffer permanent damage due to lack of permanent damage from too much from supplements.
I am a creature of habit and i know that my lifestyle will not be filled with various vegetables, nuts and legumes in order to achieve taking in the appropriate amount of nutrients. I more than likely would purchase about 6-8 foods and go. So my questions are as follows.

1. Can I take a multivitamin in order to supplement the lack of other nutrients?

2. Can I eat a serving of chicken once a week in order ward of b12 deficiency?

3. Sugar is bad, so is it bad to snack on fruits all day?

4. Are there phone apps to help newbs like me, with diet plans etc?
 
Welcome to the forum. Morbe77!

I know for a fact we have at least one other Texan on the forum that manages a vegan lifestyle in the land of sport BBQ. If he can do it, you can too. Hopefully, he'll ring in on this conversation. He might know of some good resources for you to get started.

First let me be clear in saying that I am not a dietitian, doctor, or claim to be an expert, but I do know that obesity can be complex, in that it isn't as simple for some people to just say, "okay, I'm changing my diet". There can definitely be psychological aspects to overeating and/or eating addictions. In these situations professional help is suggested. However, if you are simply overweight like I once was, a whole foods, plant-based lifestyle could possibly be just what you need.

To address your concerns as briefly as possible:

1. Yes, a lot, not all, but many vegans supplement with B12 and sometimes vitamin D3. I know some people supplement in other ways, but if you eat enough of the proper foods with a vegan diet, you should probably only need B12. The truth is that many people, even meat eaters, fall short on B12, which is why I doubt one serving of chicken would meet those needs either. B12 is super cheap to supplement. You can use a sublingual that you can take either daily and some are once a week, and it costs under $20 per year.

2. As I stated above, it's not likely the chicken would meet your needs. The fact is, if you want to reap the health benefits of a plant-based diet, the chicken would be counterproductive.

3. There are health benefits to consuming fruit. Don't you think you'd be a whole lot better off eating fruit than the sugar snacks? Any way you slice it, substituting fruit for sugar snacks will be beneficial. There are fruits that will satiate without the dense calories, like melons for example. I can only speak for myself, but if you follow a whole foods plant-based diet with no sugar, oil, or salt, you should be able to eat as much fruit as you want, in theory.

4. I know a lot of people swear by chronometer. Happy Cow is another app I hear good things about. "Is It Vegan" might be helpful, but I don't use these things myself, so perhaps see what others suggest.

I suggest watching some inspirational and also educational documentaries. YouTube is loaded with great information, recipes, ways to transition to veganism, and also several great documentaries. The best thing you can do is educate yourself on this lifestyle. There is no question it can change your life for the better, in my humble opinion, and feel good for helping the planet, and the animals at the same time. It's really a win win!

A few documentaries I enjoyed on Netflix: Forks Over Knives, What The Health, Cowspiracy

Other recommended documentaries: Eating You Alive, Earthlings (graphic)

Lastly, there's no set rules on how to transition. However, you have to remember there are overweight vegans too. Simply being vegan won't necessarily solve your weight problems. Living a whole foods, plant-based diet will though. There is a difference between these two lifestyles. One is based almost entirely on ethics, and the other on health and scientific research. Look into these plant-based doctors, via Google: Doctor's T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn, Neal Barnard, John McDougall, Michael Greger, Michael A. Klaper, and Garth Davis. There's a heap more great plant-based doctors, but these ones are a good start. Research them and learn all about the benefits of plant-based living.

This is a way of life for me...Not a diet! While you might be giving up animal products, this is still a complete balanced diet. A huge misconception is the food is bland or boring, or it won't meet your nutritional needs. Again, YouTube has a wealth of information on how to transition, and endless delicious recipes. Get the facts at: https://nutritionfacts.org/

Best of luck!
 
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I only take a sublingual b12 supplement once a week and have been fine. Animals are also supplemented with b12 so you might as well just take the supplement yourself directly.

Processed sugar is bad. Nothing wrong with snaking on fruits.

Not sure about phone apps but peta's website has some meal plans you might want to check out.
 
Just looking for advice really. Im a 40 year old Male who is overweight I have been wanting to go vegetarian/ vegan for the obvious health benefits but I live in Texas, which is basically the land of cattle and dietitians here tend to go into panic mode when you mention vegan or vegetarian lifestyles. I have no support in a state where BBQ actually made it's way to the food pyramid. I have tried in the past to go vegan but could never get past the whole vitamin b12 thing. I dont want to suffer permanent damage due to lack of permanent damage from too much from supplements.
I am a creature of habit and i know that my lifestyle will not be filled with various vegetables, nuts and legumes in order to achieve taking in the appropriate amount of nutrients. I more than likely would purchase about 6-8 foods and go. So my questions are as follows.

1. Can I take a multivitamin in order to supplement the lack of other nutrients?

2. Can I eat a serving of chicken once a week in order ward of b12 deficiency?

3. Sugar is bad, so is it bad to snack on fruits all day?

4. Are there phone apps to help newbs like me, with diet plans etc?

1. There's usually no harm in it, but generally it's unnecessary if your diet is adequate. When choosing your foods, you might want to check out http://nutritiondata.self.com/ to see what kinds of vitamins/minerals/essential fats and amino acids you are getting.

2. Eating animal products of any kind will only keep you hooked on them. B-12 is made by bacteria, and most factory farmed animals that are fed grains are injected with it since they aren't eating grass. So if you eat the animal just for the b-12, you are really eating the animal just for the supplement it gets.

3. Your body runs on glucose and this is not something you can escape. Even people eating low-carb diets must have adequate blood glucose levels. If they aren't eating them in the form of carbs, their bodies will actually take whatever they are eating and try it's best to compensate.
The sugar that is "bad" is the refined kind. The more refined, the worse it is. This is because it provides only empty calories devoid of minerals, fiber, phytonutrients etc.

4. I've never followed these, but the above two posters might be worth checking out.

Keeping your diet whole, plant based foods will help you lose weight. These things are not whole foods:

- Isolated oil, even the healthy ones
- Isolated sugar
- Alcohol of any kind
- Refined flours
- Vegan meat replacements are generally made of isolates and do not qualify as whole foods

Nuts and seeds (in their whole form) are whole foods, and although you should eat them, they are easy to overdue and the calorie load will not help you lose weight. Eat them, because they are generally super healthy, but sparingly.
 
I agree with most of the posts above, except "sugar is bad".

Fruits are providing simple sugars, starches are providing complex sugars that eventually get turned into simple sugars.

Sugar is the fuel for life really, and by itself does not make you fat. Cookies which are full of fat and sugar make you fat - so stay away from those ... but a smoothie made with bananas and added sugar is great.

To feel great every day you need a certain amount of carbs (some formulas mention 10g x kg bodyweight i.e. if you weigh 70 kg then you'd need 700 carbs / day) ... and you can get those by either eating a lot of fruits, starches etc, or by eating less fruits but adding some sugar. It all goes to boost your energy.
 
Thanks guys for all the advice I will look into the extra sites that were mentioned.

I had no idea that animals were fed b12!